Among the rarest long-nose-era golf clubs to collect is the iron putter.  Between 1850 and 1890, cleekmakers like Carrick, Gray, Wilson, White, et. al did make a few iron putters, but just a relative few.   Cleeks and lofters from the 1850s-1880s are out there. But putters? Not nearly as much.  This is because most golfers between 1850 and 1890 saw iron putters as not only ineffective but also counterproductive. a true lose-lose combination!

Prior to 1850, golfers did not use iron clubs unless the ball was on sand, among stones or rocks, in a rut of some type, or somewhere off in the high-grass hinterlands.  To these golfers using an iron club on the normal part of the course was pretty much sacrilegious.  Irons could take divots and damage the course, and that was universally seen as “not good.”

Even so, a few iron putters were made prior to 1850.  Somewhere around 10-15 are known.  The most famous is the iron putter from the Royal Blackheath collection that was also depicted in the 1790-1798 painting of Henry Callender.  The only pre-1850 printed reference to an iron putter that the auctioneer’s research has uncovered is a single mention in an 1823 account that acknowledges that iron putters were used for short putts. Which brings us to the club offered here.

This circa 1860s(?)  iron putter offered here has an upright lie, which would make the club difficult to swing freely on putts of any sizeable length.  But on short putts? This putter would work fine.  The reshaft measures 34 inches. The shaft has been regripped in recent years, but it looks like a period sueded leather grip with a little black tape at its base helping keep it in tact. The blade measures a full 1 3/8 inches deep and just under 4 ¼” wide (from the toe to the back of the hosel). And it is thick!  The .735" thick hosel is 4 3/8” long and has nicking in keeping with the nicking found on other Carrick irons.

There is what appears to be a cross cleekmark on the back of the head, only the downward “line” of the cross appears to be two downward “lines.” It’s either an “A” (for Archibald Carrick?) or a cross.  Either way, there is a raised dot in the center where the vertical and horizontal lines intersect, and this raised dot is exactly the same and in the same location as found in other Carrick “X” marks that remain strong and unworn. You can see these matching dots in this club and another Carrick iron in the accompanying images.

Given the distinct similarties of the marks, it is logical to credit the Carricks as the maker of this iron putter, and to consider the stamp as an early version of the famous Carrick “X” cleekmark. 

Also, the blade on this putter is more "square" in its outline than the blade on most other Carrick putters.  The auctioneer believes the blade shape in conjunction with the atypical cleekmark is the major tell on the age of the club.  

This is an important club on more than one level.